Trimming Privet Hedges: Professional Tips For The Perfect Cut

In order for the privet hedge to stay in shape, it must be cut regularly. Here you can find out everything about the right procedure for trimming privet hedges.

The most beautiful hedges can be drawn from privet ( Ligustrum ). If you do it right, you will soon have a beautiful, dense hedge that will catch curious glances in your garden. If you have chosen a suitable time for pruning, you can enjoy the wonderfully fragrant flowers. Bees, butterflies, and species of flies will thank you. The dark berries then ring in autumn and delight a wide variety of bird species.

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Privet grows very quickly. The plant can grow 30 centimeters and more per year – up to a total height of five meters. Pruning is essential if the privet is to stay in good shape. Fortunately, the robust plants are very easy on pruning. A regular cut promotes branching and makes the hedge opaque. There are no limits to your creativity because privet can also be cut into beautiful shapes such as spheres, pyramids, or spirals.

Trimming privet hedges: the timing is right

For optimal growth, young privet must be cut several times a year. Two cutbacks per year are the rule. The first pruning should be done in early spring, just before the plant sprouts again. It becomes more difficult with the second cut because whoever cuts in June or July removes the flowers that are valuable for pollinators. In addition, major interventions are not allowed at this time, as animals nest in the branches. You can only do the second larger pruning again in October, but a little more carefully than in spring. The problem, however, is that with this second pruning you remove the berries that are valuable for birds.

Fortunately, older privets only have to be pruned once a year. This way, flowers, and fruits are preserved for wild animals. A few cosmetic corrections are possible with caution and consideration for breeding birds but also in summer.

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Trimming privet hedges: instructions

You can’t really go wrong with pruning the privet, because the plant is extremely resilient. The most important thing is the timing. When pruning in spring, you can be a little more radical so that the hedge is nice and dense and does not become bald. You can cut the hedge down in half if you dare. If the privet is bald, you can cut it back radically. Ideally, do this in early spring, as birds like to nest in the branches of the hedge during the summer. Pruning too late in the year weakens the plant before winter.

In order to stimulate the growth of the hedge, the plants naturally also need sufficient nutrients. You can find out everything about the correct fertilization of the privet here.